Strip feeding mechanism



Dec. 30, 1958 o. H. MANNls-ro 2,866,638

STRIP FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Deo. 7, 195e s sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 30, 1958 o. H; MANNlsTo STRIP FEEDING MEcHANrsM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Deo. 7, 1956 m ...GQ

5y my irme/v? vUnited States Patent STRIP FEEDING MECHANISM Application Deeember 1, Y1956, serial No. 626,939

6 claims.. ((1211-25) This invention relates to stripA feeding mechanism and more particularly to a mechanism for simultaneously advancing a plurality of strips step bystep through a predetermined distance.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for intermittently advancing a plurality of strips through uniform distances.

A mechanism for feeding a plurality of perforated strips in a punch press illustrating certain features of the invention may include a shuttle bar mounted for horizontal movement and reciprocated l through a predetermined stroke by linkage which is actuated byl a cam on the crank shaft of the press for reciprocating the shuttle bar for each rotation of the crank shaft. A connector member having pins thereon engageable in the perforations in the strips is mounted on the shuttle bar for horizontal movement therewith and for vertical reciprocation relative thereto and is urged by springs to a normal upper position with the pins in engagement with the strips and is depressed to a lower position to disengage the pins from the strips by depressor members which are yieldably mounted on the ram of the press and cooperate with the springs to raise the pins into engagement with the perforations in the strips at one end of the feed stroke of the shuttle bar and to lower the pins and disengage them from the strips at the other end of the stroke of the shuttle bar.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view through a punch press showingthe improved strip feeding mechanism thereon;

Fig. 2 isa fragmentary plan view of a plurality of strips which are to be fed and worked on in the punch press;

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary plan sectional view of the strip feeding mechanism taken on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Figs. 4 and 5 are fregmentary vertical cross-sectional grooves of the strip feeding mechanism taken on lines 4 4 and 5 5,"respectively, of Fig. 3 and'showing the connector pins in different positions; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary vertical cross-sectional views taken on lines 6 6 and 7 7 of Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, showing the strip feeding mechanism in different positions.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a punch press 9 for fabricating multi-part articles from a plurality of narrow strips 10 having uniformly spaced perforations 11 therein (Fig. 2) as disclosed in Patent 2,666,253 issued to I. A. Morberg on a method of making spring assemblages.

The punch press 9 has a bed 14, vertical end frames 13, a longitudinal upper cross frame 12, and a crank shaft for reciprocating a ram 16 to which it is connected by means of a connecting rod 17. The feed mechanism for advancing the strips 10 comprises a shuttle bar 21 disposed beneath and transversely of the strips 10 and having f .rollers 22 mounted on each end thereof which ride in horizontal guideways 23V in guide blocks24. These guide blocks aremounted on the bed 14 of the press and have horizontally disposed tracks 25 which lit in grooves 26 in the shuttle bars for slidably supporting the bars against tilting movement and, preventing movement thereof transversely of the strips 1li.` The shuttle bar 21is connected by suitable linkage Z8' to a cam 30 on the crank shaft 15 and is reciprocated thereby through a predetermined stroke equal to the distance between successive perforations 11 in the strips 16. The linkage 28 (Fig. 3) comprises a pair of links`31 connected to opposite ends of the shuttle bar and to arms.32 which arexed toa rock shaft 33 journalled in brackets 34 mounted onethe kbed 14 of the press. An arm 35 lixed to the rock shaft 33 is connected to one end ofa vertically disposed link,36, the upper end of which'is pivotally connected to a lever 37 which in turn is pivotally supported at 38 and is actuated by the cam ,30 through a cam follower rod 39. Thus,

in response to each revolution of the crank shaft 15,.tl1ev Vend of the stroke of the shuttle bar into the perforations 11 in the strips and serve to connect the strips for movement with the shuttle bar tothe other end of its stroke, where the connector pins are lowered to disconnect the strips from the shuttle bar. The connector pins 44 are fixed to a connector bar 45 and the upper ends of the connector pin pass through apertures in the shuttle bar. The lconnector bar 45 is secured at its ends to a pair of vertical guide rods 46 which are slidably mounted in vertical guide apertures in the shuttle bar 21 and serve to connect the bar 45 -for horizontal movement with the shuttle bar and guide it for vertical movement relative thereto. Springs 47 move the connector bar 45 upwardly and yieldably maintain it in its upper position, vthe springs 47 being supported in U-shaped bracket 48 connected at their upper ends to the shuttle bar 21.

At their upper ends the guide rods 46 are provided with rollers 54 which are adapted to be engaged by a pair of depressing members 55 yieldably mounted on the ram 16 for vertically reciprocating the connector bar 45 and the pins44 at opposite ends of the stroke of the shuttle bar 21. Horizontal lower surfaces 56 on the depressing members 55 are engageable with the rollers 54 for maintaining the connector pins 44 in their lower position during the return stroke of the shuttleA bar 21. The depressor members 55 are connected to the ram 16 by a plurality of headed guide rods 57 .for vertical movement therewith and for movement relative thereto and the members 55 are stressed to their normal lower position as shown in Fig. 7 by springs 58. As the ram 16 is lowered, the presser members 55 move downwardly therewith and engage the rollers 54 and move the connector bar 45 downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 7 to disengage the pins 44 from the strip 11i, at which time the depressor members 55 engage stops 60 which arrest their downward movement while the ram 16 continues its movement to the bottom of its stroke during which additional movement the ram moves relative to the depressor members 55.

To aid in raising the connector bar 45 when the shuttle is moved to its retracted or starting position as shown `in Fig. 6, a pair of camming arms 62 are provided. These t `3 nector bar upwardly and aid the springs 47 in raising it and the pins 44 thereon when the depressor members 55 are carried upwardly by the-ram 16.

The components .are `arranged sothat `the feeding `mechanism `operates as follows: .If we assume `that the `crank shaft 17 is `rotatingand the shuttle bar 21 has {been moved to its retracted `position (Fig. 6), then, during the interval of dwell thereof, the ram 16 moves upwardly and lifts the depressor Vmembers S from the `rollers 54 on the connector bar45, which is actuated by `the springs 47 from its lower position to its upper position and carries the connector pins 44 into the perforations 11 in the strips 10 as shown in Fig. 6. As the crank 'shaftlS continues its rotation the cam30 and the linkage 128 `causes theshuttlebar to moveforward and feed the `strips one step, during whichthe ram 16 moves upwardly to its uppermostposition and4 then starts moving `downwardly so that as the shuttlebar reaches the end of its `forward stroke the depressor members 55 engage lthe `rollers 54, and during the interval of dwell of the shuttlebar the depressor members depress the connector `barf45 `to its lower position to disengage the connector pins 44 from the strips 10 (Fig. 7). As the crank shaft `l5 continues its rotation, the cam 30 and the linkage 28 `causes the shuttle bar 21 to return to its'retracted position, during which return movement the connector bar is held in its lower position with the pins 44 disen- `gaged from the strips 10 by the depressor members 55 `which are spring held against the stops 60, and the ram continues its downward movement to the bottom of its 'stroke and then moves upwardly. At the time the shutftle bar 21 reaches its retracted position (Fig. 6) and dwells for an interval, the ram 16 has reached a point iwhere the headed pins 57 pick up the depressors 55 and allow the connector bar `45 and the pins 44 to move to `their upper position with thepins 44 engaging the strips 10 in the next set of `perforations 11 therein in position Jto advance the strips and repeat the cycle of operation `as thecrank shaft continues rotating.

fIt will be understood that during the intervals be- =tween the `step `by step feeding movements of the strips 10, the strips are acted on by dies and other components `of the apparatus to formthem` into predetermined shapes and assemble them with other parts into a composite article as disclosed in the aforementioned patent.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of i,the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements maybe readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and `fall `within the spirit and `scope thereof.

,What is claimed is:

l: Ina mechanism for feeding a plurality of strips having spaced perforations therein, a shuttle bar for supporting-a plurality of strips,imeans ffor reciprocating said Lshuttle bar through -a predetermined stroke longitudinally `ofthestrip and for providing anv interval of dwell at each `end of the stroke, a connector member `mounted on the -bar for `movement therewith and for transverse vertical movement relative theretotoward and from the strips, @plurality of Apins on said connector member engagcable .1n -the `perforations in thestrip -for imparting movement tothe strips, and means for moving said connector memther toward the `strips at one end of the stroke of said shuttle bar to move the connector pin into engagement Awith the strips at the beginning of a stroke and for lowering said connector member at the other end of the stroke mamove the. pins out of engagementwith the strips at the lend .of :the stroke.

`2,. In ca mechanism for feeding a 'plurality of strips `havingwunformly spaced perforations therein, ashuttle btu" for supporting a plurality of strips, means for Vre- `lciprocating said shuttle `bar through a predetermined horizontal stroke longitudinally of the strip and for `providing an :interval of `dwell ateach end ofthe stroke, a. connection-member `mounted on' the shuttle `bar for `reciprocable movement therewith and for vertical movement relative thereto, a plurality of pins on said connes:v tor member engageable in `the apertures of the strip, and means for raising said connector member at one end of the stroke of said shuttle bar and for lowering said connector member at the other end of the stroke to move the connector pins into the perforations of the strips at the beginning of a feeding stroke of the shuttle bar and to move them out of the perforations at the end of the stroke.

3. In an apparatus for fabricating multi-part articles from a plurality of strips having uniformly spaced perforations therein, the combination of a shaft, a shuttle bar for supporting the strips thereon, means actuated by said shaft for reciprocating the shuttlebar through a predetermined stroke equal to the distance between successive perforations in said strips, a connector member having a plurality `of pins engageable in the perforations in said strips, means mounting said connector member ou said shuttle bar for movement therewith and for reciprocable movement relative thereto toward and away from the strips thereon, and means operable under control of said shaft for moving said connector member to an upper position with the pins in engagement with said strip at one end of the stroke of the shuttle bar and for lowering the connector member to a lower position with the pins disengaged from the strips at the other end of the stroke.

4. In an apparatus having a bed, a ram and a crank shaft connected to the ram for reciprocating it relative to the bed for fabricating multipart articles from a plurality of strips having uniformly spaced perforations therein, the combination therewith of a shuttle bar for supporting the strips thereon, guide members on the bed for supporting the shuttle bar for horizontal movement in a direction parallel to said strips, means including a cam on said crank shaft and linkage interconnecting the cam and the shuttle bar for reciprocating the shuttle bar through a predetermined stroke equal to the distance between successive perforations in said strips and providing an interval of dwell at each end of said stroke, a connector member having a plurality of pins engageable in the perforations in said strip, means mounting said connector member on said shuttle bar for horizontal movement therewith and for vertical recriproc- `able movement relative thereto, resilient means for raising said connector member to an upper position with the pins in engagement with said strip in the perforations thereof, depressor members for moving the connector member to a lower position with ,the pins disengaged from the strips, means for yieldably mounting the depressormembers on the ram for vertical movement therewith, andstops for arresting the movement of the depressor members at a predetermined position, the ar- -rangement of parts lbeing such that the depressor member serves to depress the connector pins and disengage them from the strips during the dwell at one end of the stroke of the shuttle bar and to effect the raising of the `connector pinsinto engagement with the strips during the dwellat the other end of the stroke.

5. In an apparatus having a bed, a ram and :a crank shaft connected to the ram for reciprocating it relative to the bed for fabricating multi-part articles froma plurality of strips having uniformly spaced perforations therein, the combination therewith of a shuttle bar for supporting the strips thereon, guide members on the bed for supporting the shuttle bar for horizontal movementin a direction parallel to said strips, means including a cam on said crank shaft andlinkage interconnecting the cam and lthe shuttle bar for reciprocating the shuttle gbar thro-ugha predetermined stroke equal to the distance between successive perforations inthe strips and providing an interval of dwell ,at each end of said stroke,

u -.a connector member having a plurality of pins engagelable inthe apertures in Vsaid strip, a pair of rods on said connector member slidably supported on said shuttle bars for mounting said connector member on said shuttle bar for horizontal movement therewith and for vertical movement relative thereto, resilient means for raising said connector member to 4an upper position with the pins in engagement with said strips, depressor members engageable with said rods for moving the connector member to a lower position with the pins disengaged from the strips, means for yieldably mounting the depressor members on the rarn for vertical movement therewith into engagement with said rods when the shuttle bar arrives at the end of its stroke, and stops for arresting the movement of the depressor members when the connector member has been depressed to its lower position, said depressor members having at horizontal surfaces for holding said rods and the connector member in said lower position during the return stroke of the shuttle bar.

6. A feeding apparatus for strips having spaced perforations comprising a shuttle bar for supporting a -stripV References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,779,590 Seastrom Jan. 29, 1957 

